5 years, 3 months for man that hid ‘ice’ in condoms

The federal court yesterday imposed a sentence of five years and three months on one of four persons busted by the Drug Enforcement Administration-CNMI Task Force for conspiring to smuggle over 50 grams of methamphetamine or “ice” to Guam.

U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Alex R. Munson said after serving the 63 months in prison, Young Ju Kwon shall be delivered to Division of Immigration for deportation proceedings.

Munson ordered Kwon to pay $100 in court special assessment fee.

Defense attorney Danilo Aguilar requested that the $1,100 cash confiscated from Kwon could be turned over for payment of the assessment fee.

But Munson said inquiries could be made to the DEA office to determine the availability of the money.

At the hearing, Aguilar moved the court to sentence his client to two years.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Moran recommend the 63-month jail term.

Court records show that the DEA special agents seized the “ice” from Kwon and Jae Young Park who concealed the illegal drugs in condoms.

Kwon, Jae Young Park, Steve Kim, and Sang Mee Chun, were charged in a complaint filed in the federal court on Saipan. They were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substance.

In October 2004, the defendants were indicted in Guam over the same alleged conspiracy.

Kwon and counsel Aguilar signed a plea agreement with the U.S. government.

Kwon waived his right to be removed to Guam to answer the indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Territory of Guam. He requested to enter the guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the NMI.

Kwon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of “ice.”

The government alleged that on or before June 2004 and continuing to Oct. 19, 2004 in Guam or elsewhere, the defendants conspired with other persons to distribute over 50 grams of “ice.”

Court papers indicated that the group was busted after the DEA-CNMI Task Force received a tip from a special agent of the DEA Guam Resident Office.

The surveillance team followed Park and Kwon to the holding area at the Saipan airport, where the agents approached and frisked them.

The agents found that the two defendants each had condom wrapped in white tape attached to their crotch area, documents said.

Each condom contained white crystalline substance further wrapped in a white tape.

Kwon’s package weighed 172 gross grams, while Park’s had 180 grams.

The agents said the substance in each package was field tested positive with the presence of “ice.”